Staples aims to bring 3-D printing to the masses

By Andria Cheng

Jen Seron, a 45-year-old artist from New York, walked into a Midtown Manhattan Staples store with her son on Thursday afternoon, eager to check out something he had spotted one day earlier: 3-D printing machines and services.

She was excited about the possibility of having 3-D copies made of a ceramic mug she had created. Before the visit, she had only seen a 3-D printer at the Museum of Modern Art.

Is 3-D printing finally coming to a store near you?

Andria Cheng/MarketWatch

A 3-D-printed guitar on display at Staples

Staples Inc.
/quotes/zigman/78299/delayed/quotes/nls/splsSPLS, which needs to reinvent itself as sales of office supplies decline, and 3D Systems Corp.
/quotes/zigman/5280737/delayed/quotes/nls/dddDDD have partnered to outfit a Staples store on New York City’s Fifth Avenue with a $65,000 printer aimed at serving small businesses. Two other 3-D printers are for sale, one priced at $1,300 and another at $4,000. As part of the partnership, 3D Systems will have its staff on site and Staples is training the graphics artists in its own copy and print business to help customers with design requests.

Staples is running a second test of the concept in a Los Angeles store.

The Manhattan test includes a photo booth where consumers can have their pictures taken that can then be turned into a $69.99 3-D-printed Star Wars or NBA action figure that will take a few days to finish. Shoppers also can design and have a personalized phone case printed in 15 minutes for $29.99. The cost of other items will range from $4 for a small ornament to thousands of dollars for a guitar. Also read: 8 examples of 3-D printing at the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show.

“If you think of the world of 3-D printing, it’s this amazing burgeoning new technology,” said Damien Leigh, Staples’ senior vice president of business services, in an interview. “But small business customers and consumers really don’t understand en mass how to access it. The key is to demystify it. We’ll make significant investments. We realized there’s an opportunity.”

Leigh said Staples is using these tests to learn more about the 3-D printing business. It has been selling 3-D printers since last May.

“We have to prove it out and make the economics work,” he told MarketWatch, adding 3-D printing could grow to be “a multi-billion industry.” At Staples, “it’s a two-store pilot with a lot of promise. Now it’s just high-end business. We are going to make the market.”

Andria Cheng/MarketWatch

Staples has received a lot of customer inquiries on 3-D printing services, he said. Since the service was introduced in the Manhattan store 10 days ago, it’s piqued the interest of many customers, he said. For instance, a small jewelry company nearby has expressed interest in having 3-D prototypes made, Leigh said.

“Every design firm is trying to figure out 3-D printing,” Leigh said. The new technology lends itself to everything from furniture and shoes to promotional souvenirs and party favors such as customized mugs.

For 3D Systems, the partnership means it has its first “experience center,” Ash Martin, the company’s director of product management, told MarketWatch. Sales at the company, founded by 3-D printing inventor Chuck Hull, are forecast to more than double to as much as $720 million this year, from $353.6 million in 2012. It named singer will.i.am its chief creative officer this year to help promote the mainstream use of 3-D printing.

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About Behind the Storefront

Behind the Storefront is a blog about all things retail. It’s aimed at investors, shoppers and anyone else with a passion for learning about what drives consumer behavior. Hosted by Andria Cheng, Behind the Storefront will cover the business, brands and shopping behavior that’s behind some of the biggest companies, and largest employers, in the world. You can reach Andria at Acheng@marketwatch.com.